 Poster: A snowHead
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The 'highest and longest gondola in the world' - the Gulmarg 'Sky Car' in Kashmir - will be inaugurated on 25 December, with cabling work completed one day earlier.
Although there is no clear promise of public opening, the official ceremony will mark a very long-awaited day...
This project was commenced in 1987, with its first section completed in 1989. Military tension between India and Pakistan led to suspension of the project, since the lift and its ski area are within shelling range, but more peaceful relations between the two countries now prevail.
This report from The Telegraph, Calcutta.
See this previous snowHeads news thread for further details and background...and a further snowHeads thread gives impressions of Kashmir and its skiing, with links.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Military tension between India and Pakistan led to suspension of the project |
Tension... Suspension... It sounds like the opposing armies erected the gondola between them!
Not sure I'd be enthusiastic about trying it out the day after cabling is completed. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yes, laundryman, the suspension must be killing everyone! Maybe the 'chief minister' (quoting the report above) will ride it. Even better if he skis!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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See Saikee's recent post about Tochal Mountain above Tehran, Iran. Now Tochal itself is just over 13,000 ft but the gondola stops before the summit so this one in Kashmir beats it handsomely on altitude and probably correctly claims the title for the highest. The Iranian one is in total over 7 kms long but since that is in 2 sections, perhaps we'll also let Gulmarg claim the longest. While it may be the highest gondola it is only 4th highest lift - according to this set of slightly dated 15 fascinating facts
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sorry, when I read the title to this thread, I thought it was a follow up to the one about the 11 guys having their passes pulled for getting stoned...
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WT, you're a cheeky cub. 
And if you haven't been welcomed already, greetings to you sherpa - are there any other snowHeads from India?
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I'm afraid i am not from india, oops i still say location, delhi, sorry. spent most of this year there though, going back in january. am from london, living in nottingham at the moment. spent the season in gulmarg last year, great place, love it, going back to try and help promote it a bit, on the case for a streamlined website at the mo.
i think there are a couple of other snowheads wandering Himalaya-ward this winter. the word will spread no doubt.. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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And they've had some snow. In fact too much if you are travelling by road but only one and a half feet of new snow at Gulmarg.
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The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country. The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was not opened to traffic on Saturday.
The snowfall accompanied by cold winds forced people to remain indoors.
A report from Charar-e-Sharief said about one and a half feet of snowfall was recorded since last evening.
However, the fresh snow came as a bonus to those who had assembled at the world famous skiing resort of Gulmarg to celebrate the New Year. |
More on this from the Tribune, Chandigar
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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kuwait_ian, nice! I have ridden that Loveland lift, the Copper lift, the A Basin lift, and will ski Big Sky this month, so I'm doing pretty well on that list!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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sherpa, have a great trip and keep in touch. Liked the web site - simple design, loads of information and great pics.
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The development of skiing in India is to be partly focussed on encouraging city kids to experience the mountains, snow and their magic for the first time.
This article from Express India explains more.
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You know it makes sense.
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....news from Gulmarg....
well the gondola is not working yet, the odd car goes up but as yet not even a dog test has been completed. i and a few others had a meeting with a local Bureaucrat, well the Tourism Minister, who explained he could open it if he wanted to, but that he was concerned about safety . fair enough, 8 million $ on the gondola and nothing on avalanche control. This gondola is intended primarily for summer use however. The local feeling is that it will run once a few French engineers have turned up and looked it over. I am unsure wether it will be open at all for commercial use this winter, but we are trying to get some sort of liability waiver or something just so we can save ourselves a 2-4hr hike to the top to do the same runs! a lot of snow this last week, maybe 2 feet in gulmarg at 2700. enjoying some great powder. Some terrible news, unfortunately one man died yesterday while working on the existing gondola after his jacket became entangled in one of the wheels feeding the cars into the station. I am sure this will show up in the indian press soon. The grapevine is also saying Willy Woggle,Warren Miller, and TGR will be here in a few days to shoot films.
looking forward to a powderlicious feb! hope all is well in the rest of snowheadland!
love from gulmarg, xx sherpa
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Some terrible news, unfortunately one man died yesterday while working on the existing gondola after his jacket became entangled in one of the wheels feeding the cars into the station. |
... for the sake of our sport. Some of these guys never even get to play on skis. That is truly awful.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A snowHead reporting in live from Gulmarg. Now that's something! Thanks sherpa!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dear Fellow Snowheads,
Greeting from Down Under. Its many years since I first traveled overseas to ski – to one of my all time favourite places – St Anton am Arlberg.
Since then I've travelled a lot to winter resorts all around the world before finally visiting the Himalayas - several times - today we launched our website "www.skihimalaya.com" which centres on the region's first major alpine resort - Gulmarg in Kashmir.
The site has everything you need to know including Q&A on safety aspects. By the way, Gulmarg has a lifted-vertical-drop which is bigger than St Anton in Austria, Las Lenas in Argentina or Jackson Hole in USA.
If you're thinking of riding anywhere in the world next winter, I can thoroughly recommend joining us in the Himalayas. Especially if you like the steeps on offer at places like St Anton, Las Lenas or Jackson Hole. We really are keen to get an internationally diverse bunch of keen riders at Gulmarg this coming winter, for the inaugural snow season of the finished gondola!
With no material number of local riders (yet), riding in Gulmarg in 2006 is the nearest any of us are ever to an in-bound resort equivalent of heliskiing - unlimited untracked on offer!
Kind regards to all,
Powdercat
WWW.SKIHIMALAYA.COM
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hello, sherpa and other heads!
Do you know when Phase II really starts this season? 
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FAQ
. Apparently they have been working night and day since October to get it finished! I was up there in September and met the two French engineers from Poma. One of them ridiculed me for loving the place and said this place has no nightlife, no ladeez, and he said the gondola would never be finished. He was also thinking he would be out of there by mid october, but it sounds like he is stuck there til it is finished! 
is a bit 
